Not so Sweet Escape
by al00f
Summary: Lana attempts to flee Los Angeles with Ema, but she runs into an unexpected visitor. Or maybe she should have expected him all along...


**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing here. Ace Attorney and its characters belong solely to Capcom.**

**Pairing: Damon Gant/Lana Skye**

**Spoilers: Rise of the Ashes (don't read if you haven't completed the case!)**

**Warnings: This story is partial head-canon and AU. It may be a bit dark, too. I wrote this from 1 AM to 3:30 AM, so it may be a bit dodgy, hope you enjoy it, though!  
**

_February 2015_

Lana began packing up her bags as soon as she fled the gruesome crime scene with her sister that Lana Skye and Damon Gant had helped rearrange. It was time that her and her sister Ema hightail out of Los Angeles before they were seen. First, she began packing her bags at her apartment. Next, she would have to go back to the police department to pick up some important documents - some that were personal.

"Ema, would you hand me my purse, please?" Lana said, clearly rushing.

"Sis, I don't understand. Why won't you tell me what's going on and why are we running away? Is it because of the accident?" Ema said, panicking.

"I'll tell you everything as soon as the plane lands. But just listen to me for once! We are running away for a reason," Ema's head lowered. "It's the murder, right?" Agitated, Lana ran a hand through her hair. She then grabbed Ema gently by her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Ema, but you need to trust me, okay? Everything is going to work out, I promise. We just need to get out of here while we still can. Now go wait for me in the car." Ema nodded solemnly and walked out carrying two medium-sized suitcases with her.

Before her parents were killed in a car crash, Lana and Ema had lived in a lovely, suburban neighborhood north of Los Angeles. They had pleasant neighbors for the most part, some of them had hardly talked with each other. Lawns were watered and the neighborhood was generally a safe place for raising a family. After Lana's parents died however, the house was forced into foreclosure leaving young Lana with only one option: Rent an apartment with her younger sister and find a stable job after finishing college. Granted, the neighborhood wasn't exactly great, but it wasn't as bad as some neighborhoods she had seen in LA. Ever since both of their parents died, Lana and Ema have been living a pretty rough life. Lana had barely enough money each week to give Ema allowance, let alone pay bills and feed her and her sister. Still, she did considerably well given the circumstances. Now, Lana was not going to let her sister be tossed in prison for a crime that she did not commit, nor would she subject herself to live life under a selfish man who only cared about winning at the end of the day. She had come too far to protect her younger sister to have it all vanish like smoke.

Lana's heart caught in her throat the instant she took a breath. _Cologne. _That familiar scent she had smelled for so long had somehow drifted in the apartment. It hung for several seconds until a voice shattered her completely, breaking her thoughts.

"Running away. Is that what the kids call it these days?" The voice was manipulative, smooth and downright sinister. It was a voice she had known for three years. "I'd say you've done quite well for yourself, Lana. This is the last thing I had expected from you. To be honest, I'm a little… Disappointed."

"Damon. I am no longer the young, naïve woman you have me to be." Her voice was so assertive and so calm. Standing up to a bully is difficult. Standing up to Damon Gant, a thousand times worse.

"Lana, Lana, Lana," he said in a singsong, mockery way that she absolutely loathed. He stood up from a chair in a dark corner of the room. She was in such a rush that she didn't even pay attention let alone see him. "Are you missing anything before you go?" Lana narrowed her eyes and turned her head slightly to the side. "I believe you have forgotten a very important item that would be needed for your 'trip.'"

Lana watched him with rapt attention. He pulled two tickets from out of his pocket, flashing them as he slowly walked toward her. Lana stood her ground.

"Your gateway out of here," Damon said with a surprisingly serious face and tone. "You left these in your top right drawer in my office." _His _office?

Her face went from fiery hot to pale, ice cold in a matter of seconds.

"Tsk, tsk. Did you really think that you could escape this easily without my knowing? I am not finished with you yet, Lana." He walked menacingly around the room. He took very slow steps, each thump of his foot sending Lana into uncontrollable shuddering. He continued tapping the tickets in his hand and then he turned his back to her. It was deafeningly quiet in the apartment complex - no loud music, no noisy neighbors bickering. Just silence. The threatening walk remained permanently etched in her mind. _What was Damon going to do to me?_ The hairs on Lana's neck rose at that thought before he slowly turned his head around to face her.

"It's a shame that you had planned to run away. Have you not thought about the overwhelming evidence that Ema left at the crime scene? Do you really want to run away only to have Ema's fingerprints discovered all over the scene of the crime? Now… The Lana _I _know wouldn't do such a thing, would she." It was not a question. Was Lana really prepared to run away with Ema only to have her sister get caught? Lana swallowed a hard lump in her throat and fought back hot tears. She knew what he was saying was true, but from a man who could only tell lies, it was difficult to agree with him.

With a swift movement of his hands, he effortlessly shredded the tickets into tiny pieces. Lana was clenching her jaw at each rip and tear, flinching at the sound of the inevitable: There was going to be no escape from this man or what he wanted from her. He then coldly let them sprinkle onto the floor. "Ho ho, I didn't think so. You will thank me later, my dear."

By now, Lana was shaking and it most likely wasn't due to the cold. Her composure could no longer be kept and Gant could easily see that. He could definitely use this situation to his advantage and gain control of Lana by threatening her with blackmail. It would work out _perfectly_. A mindless puppet who will do just what she is told to save her pathetic little sister.

Ema was still waiting in the car. Poor Ema, she didn't deserve any of this. She was only fourteen years old. And now, she was waiting for her sister in the cold car._ She will have to wait a little while longer. I don't want her getting involved in this mess. _

"Lana," he called flatly to her. "A word of this gets out to _anybody_ and your sister will be charged with Neil Marshall's murder. With that in mind, you'll also need to find a way repay me for helping you rearrange the crime scene. Is that understood?" he stated matter-of-factly.

Slowly opening her eyes, she found Damon Gant a bit closer than usual. He cupped her chin in his hand. Lana attempted to push the lump further back. Thinking back to Ema and how innocent and good she was, there was no way that she could ever let her know about the deal that she made with the devil. Ema will never know specific details about what Lana had done to keep her sister safe.

With tears in her eyes, she forced herself to meet his gaze. "Yes," she whispered.


End file.
